worker owned and operated

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The new Blue Pages is here and I've been thinking about better business.

I like businesses that don't give money to either party. I feel like every PERSON's vote should count in our political process. When businesses get involved don't regular people lose their voice?


I LOVE businesses that operate conscienciously by not polluting, paying living wages and offering stock options, matching retirement funds (and PPO's in the absence of nationalized health care.)

I like businesses doing socially beneviolent things, but this is hard to gage and usually amount to free advertising. (Target?)(Dupont?)(ADM?)(EXXON?)

What I really really LOVE and don't see too much of are worker owned and operated businesses...so I am starting a list of bussiness that claim this. American Appareal is not on the list (although I think they are good about paying living wages compared to other apparel makers and their all cotton shirts are Oh, so soft)...neither, I believe, is Strand Books although the owner does actual physical work there (I AM impressed if not enriched by that.)...it may suprise you to know that list of businesses that are not worker owned and operated is very very long...and so far my list of worker owned and operated businesses is pretty short...so far I've found eight:



Boing Boing IS Worker Owned and Operated

telekommunisten is controlled by it's workers and committed to staying that way, we believe we can serve our customers best and at the lowest cost by remaining focused on meeting the needs of our employees and customers, not on profits for outside shareholders. Being worker-owned means that all the money you spend on our products goes directly to the maintenance and improvement of the service you receive.

Citybikes is worker owned and operated

http://www.citybikes.coop/

Equal Exchange is worker owned and operated

http://www.equalexchange.com/worker-owned

Inkworks Press yada yada yada
http://www.inkworkspress.org/article.php?id=64

Mariposa Food Co-op
http://mariposa.coop/links.html

Umoja Music Co-op
http://www.mncooperate.org/06-27-04.pdf#search='www.worker.co%20op'

la siembra
http://www.lasiembra.com/coop.htm

canadians seem to love co-ops:
http://www.organicplanet.coop/home.htm

http://www.sweatshopwatch.org/index.php?s=61
http://www.mncooperate.org/unionFAQ.html
http://www.ncba.coop/abcoop_work.cfm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worker_cooperative
http://www.catalystcollective.org/co-opforum/
http://www.geo.coop/cline1.htm